Op-Ed on Lehigh Valley Downtowns

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share an Op-Ed regarding the importance of downtown's in today's Morning Call. The Op-Ed can be accessed here. I'm ATTEMPTING to be modest here, but I wrote it. If you can't access the link, the story is below. My only regret is that I couldn't write about more of our Boroughs!

Enjoy!

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Valley's boroughs offer more than one-stop malls
By Michael Schlossberg
August 30, 2007

The Lehigh Valley is exploding with new people and businesses, gaining an average of 25 new residents a day. The result has been an explosion of jobs and economic activity. Once known for Bethlehem Steel and other manufacturing companies, the Lehigh Valley is rapidly transforming into a professional and service haven for the entire mid-Atlantic region.

The growth that comes with this development does not come without its challenges. Population in our cities and boroughs has remained relatively stagnant while the population of our townships has exploded. In 1960, the population of Allentown was about 108,000, while the population of Lower Macungie was about 4,000. Today, Allentown's population is an estimated 106,000 (a decrease of about 2 percent) while Lower Macungie's is estimated to be 26,000 (an increase of about 550 percent, making it the fastest growing municipality in Pennsylvania). Meanwhile, since the 1970s, Pennsylvania has lost an amount of open space that is roughly the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.

Malls and big-box stores like Walmart have seen their business explode, while downtown businesses have withered away. Office and professional services have moved from the urban core to massive and faceless industrial parks, isolated from their communities.

Despite these trends, downtowns remain of the utmost importance to the health of the Lehigh Valley. Nationwide, downtown businesses still provide 30 percent of all jobs and 40 percent of tax revenue for government. They also represent a type of business that nation-wide chains can never replicate: local businesses that know your community inside and out. These stores have a local flavor; their products and shops will be different from any store you will ever be in again.
On average, downtown merchants and restaurants pay their employees better than their nationwide counterparts. Accordingly, every time you shop locally, you are helping contribute to a thriving local economy.

It is important to remember that the urban sections of the Lehigh Valley are more than just Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. Indeed, there are 28 boroughs that over 97,000 of Lehigh Valley residents call home. These boroughs range in size from 300 to 11,000, but all contain their own distinct character, business district and events. A walk through Emmaus (recently named Money Magazine's 87th best place to live in America) will yield a rich array of homes, public parks, historical properties and over 100 different restaurants and businesses. Macungie boasts a thriving Main Street filled with unique shops, two yearly festivals (Das Awkscht Fescht and the Wheels of Time), Macungie Memorial Park and a weekly farmers market that is in its first year. A visit to the Hellertown guarantees good eating, with 35 restaurants and eateries located within 1.5 square miles.

Across the country, it looks as if the tides of business and consumer preference are turning back toward Main Street. According to revitalization statistics, more than $41.6 billion have been reinvested in improving Main Street properties in 2006 alone. During the same year, over 75,000 new businesses were created, with nearly 350,000 new jobs. Locally, through the Main Street and Elm Street programs run by Pennsylvania, all three cities and 10 boroughs are receiving state funding to cover expenses related to urban revitalization.

Private and public partnerships have emerged, and these partnerships are critical to the success of any downtown area. Lehigh and Northampton counties, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation have combined efforts to form the Borough Business Revitalization Program, a regional pilot Main Street program that has resulted in nine boroughs sharing two Main Street coordinators. This program has also administered a façade grant program, whereby state money is used as an incentive for exterior improvements. Utilizing state money, as well as other public and private funds, more than $130,000 will be infused into Lehigh and Northampton properties.

Also, Lehigh County's Department of Community and Economic Development created two grant programs for Main Street Initiatives and has awarded $134,712 to seven municipalities for streetscape beautification efforts. Northampton County will be following suit.

People across the Valley (and really, across the country) are starting to realize that downtowns just offer more than any mall or massive one-stop shopping center can ever deliver.

Michael Schlossberg is the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce borough business revitalization coordinator for Alburtis, Coopersburg, Hellertown & Macungie.

Express Times covers Saucon Valley Restaurant Guide

Hi everyone,

Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township have partnered to publish the Saucon Valley Restaurant Guide, publication of which is expected in November. The guide is self-explanatory - it will have a listing of the 48 restaurants in the Saucon Valley area, as well as contact information, descriptions and coupons. The Express-Times did a story on the guide yesterday, the text of which is below.

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Restaurant guide in works

Hellertown project will highlight 48 restaurants in borough and Lower Saucon.
Sunday, August 26, 2007

By KRISTEN ZIEGLERThe Express-Times
The festival-like atmosphere of Community Day and the fresh produce available at the farmers market have already exposed some people to Hellertown, but officials hope to capitalize even more on its small-town appeal by introducing a restaurant guide.

"The borough is blessed with a lot of different restaurants. You look up the block and there is the Hungarian restaurant and the Braveheart Pub with the Scottish flavor to it," said borough Manager Charles Luthar.

The guide will spotlight the borough's 35 restaurants along with 13 more in Lower Saucon Township, said Mike Schlossberg, Hellertown manager of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce's Business Revitalization Program.

Each restaurant listing will identify the variety of food served, smoke-free facilities and those that offer Internet access. It will also note the restaurant's cost range, whether it serves alcohol and if it has a children's menu, Schlossberg said.

The $2,100 project will yield 6,000 guides to be distributed to area residents and placed in local hotels and tourist attractions. The guides are expected to be distributed before the end of the year, Schlossberg said.

"We are trying to bring more business into the borough restaurants (because they) are key to any downtown revitalization project," Schlossberg said.

Luthar envisioned Bethlehem tourists or Lehigh University visitors using the guide to locate restaurants outside the city, but Schlossberg said those visitors might also be enticed by the shops on Main Street.

Any effort to draw people downtown is appreciated by local restaurants, said Kenneth McLaughlin, manager of the Braveheart Highland Pub and Restaurant, 430 Main St. "It's free advertising," he said.

The restaurant already sees a steady stream of customers from a local hotel's guide. This project will just provide additional exposure, he said.

From there, the pub can rest on its merits: it's smoke-free and the only authentic Scottish bar in the Lehigh Valley, McLaughlin boasted.

"Anyone who walks in the door will come back," he said.

Lehigh and Northampton Counties taking care of Main Street

Okay, I'll start this post by admiting I am incredibly biased.

I've always felt that the role of county government should be two-fold: First, they should serve as a safety net for residents who need assistance. Second, they should attempt to coordinate regional efforts in areas where our boroughs, cities and townships need assistance. I am pleased to say that both counties have made remarkable strides in the past couple of years towards fulfilling these goals, and in particular, in caring for the urban cores of the Lehigh Valley.

This year, Lehigh County has greatly expanded their Main Street program. In addition to having a full-time staffer dedicated to Main Streets and downtowns (Virginia Savage, Director of Main Streets Initatives), they have given out over $130,000 in grants towards Main Street communities.

• $24,000 for a Downtown Master Plan in Catasauqua
• $24,000 for a Streetscape plan in Macungie
• $11,212 for a Streetscape plan in Alburtis
• $8,000 for Streetscape amenities in Slatington
• $37,500 for an Urban Core Strategic Plan in Allentown (which will focus on housing)
• $30,000 for a Bethlehem Streetscape plan

Meanwhile, Northampton County is quickly moving towards implimenting a similar grant program, as they are in the process of confirming a funding source to enact similar planning and streetscape grants.

Good to see that both counties care about Main Street.

Saucon Valley Farmer's Market

Hi everyone, Just wanted to give you all a quick update on the Saucon Valley Farmers' Market, one of our many local Markets here in the Valley. Shelley from Hellertown asked me to post these pictures from Hawaiian Day at the Farmers' Market:

From left to right: Bud Prosser, Hellertown Mayor Richard Fluck, Shelley Goldberg, Stanley Wohlbach, Betty Tarquin

Lorraine Torella, Stanley Wohlbach

The Saucon Farmers' Market also has a special event coming up. On September 9, Harry Rinker of WAEB's "Watcha Got?" will be doing his show live from the Market (parking lot of KNBT, 741 Main Street in Hellertown) from 8:00 to 10:00, followed by appraials from 10:00 - 2:00. Tickets are $10. For more information, please contact Shelley Goldberg at sgold1111@aol.com.

Strategic Planning - Yes, it really really matters

So, how many of you volunteers out there have heard the words "Strategic Planning" and promptly run the other way? :) If you are like most people, than you have probably groaned at the mention of those dreaded words.

Strategic planning is on my mind today because we have been working very hard towards creating a strategic plan for the entire BBRP program AND for each individual borough. I wanted to take a second and list the reasons as to WHY a plan is so important.

Strategic Planning – Why it is Important

1. It’s Required: As part of the original contract signed by all participating boroughs, the development of a Strategic Plan is a required component of the grant which enables our program to exist. Accordingly, the Department of Community & Economic Development has asked the Pennsylvania Downtown Center to conduct yearly evaluations of all Main Street programs. Failure to develop a Strategic Plan will result in a lower score on our evaluation.
   
2. It’s Necessary for Grants: Downtown Reinvestment Grants, Anchor Grants and Hometown Street Grants all require that a Strategic Plan has been enacted. The rational for this is to ensure that any grant money is part of a comprehensive, long-term plan; this way, grant money won’t be wasted. Both PennDOT and the DCED want to see how grant money will fit into a communities needs and plans. Without a long term plan, grant money such as this is impossible to obtain.
   
3. It’s Necessary for Future Funding: The Main Street program has already achieved a variety of successes. Upon the completion of the BBRP program, all boroughs will be eligible to apply to become a Main Street or Elm Street community in their own right. However, funding for these programs is extremely competitive. A Strategic Plan ensures the DCED that the community applying will not waste their money and will confirm that the community is serious about becoming a Main Street community. Having a Strategic Plan is a necessary component of future funding.
   
4. Priorities are important: One of the key components of a Strategic Plan is that it determines the priorities of what a community wants to see improved and in what areas those improvements can be made. Needs can be prioritized by items that need greater attention. This enables a community to have a comprehensive vision as to what it wants done.
   
5. Investment Opportunities: One of the key components of the Main Street program is the development of partnerships between areas of the public and private sectors. However, potential private sector investors (such as banks, hospitals and other local businesses) will view Main Street in a similar fashion that they view any other investment opportunity: they’ll want to know what will be achieved with their investment. A Strategic Plan goes a long way towards demonstrating a real desire to succeed and a working knowledge of what a community wishes to achieve. In this sense, a Strategic Plan is another component to a comprehensive fundraising strategy.
   
6. Allows a Borough to see what it is working toward: Operating without a Strategic Plan is similar towards driving down an unfamiliar road without a map: you can’t possibly know if where you are going is where you really want to be. The development of a Strategic Plan is the development of that road map. This way, you can be sure that any work that you engage in within your community will absolutely move you in the direction you want it to go.

Macungie Farmers' Market and Senator Wonderling

Hi everyone,

Senator Rob Wonderling has a web video on our very own Macungie Farmers' Market. The video features the Market and Chris Boehm, Macungie Borough Manager. To view the video, click here.

Local Legislators Commited to the Valley

Hi everyone,

In order for any Main Street program to succeed, it requires support from members of both the public and private sector. Accordingly, I have been setting up meetings with members of the legislative delegation of all of my communities (Representatives Beyer, Reichley and Freeman and Senators Boscola, Wonderling and Browne). Each year, legislators are given a certain amount of money that they can give out in the form of grants. Obviously, this money represents a valuable form of financial assistance that is available to a Main Street program.

So far, I have had meetings with Representative Beyer and Senator Browne, seeking grant money for the 2008 Facade Program. So far, each legislator has delivered. Representative Beyer has committed to a $5,000 grant for the Facade Program in Coopersburg, and Senator Browne has committed to a $5,000 grant in Alburtis.

Obviously, this is outstanding news, and I want to thank Representative Beyer and Senator Browne for their commitment to Coopersburg and Alburtis. I am hopeful to have similar success with the rest of the legislative delegation as well.

Main Street, Nazareth

Looks like we've got a new Main Street Program coming to down. Welcome, Nazareth!

http://www.pennlive.com/expresstimes/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1185682178191930.xml&coll=2